Turkip trip with my little niece Khaulah
The promotion of gledek tiket.com again brought me to visit Turkey. What was different this time was the trip together with my little niece.
At first we had booked a tour for this trip, but in the end I canceled it with certain considerations related to health conditions and a long trip with a fairly solid itinerary.
Turkey Wild DAY 1
Our journey started from Surabaya – Jakarta – Istanbul on a Turkish Airlines plane. Because we have a connecting ticket to Izmir, when checking in at Soeta Airport, we all ask to be checked in for our domestic flight. And this can be done, we don’t need to take out our baggage and can go directly to the domestic transfer and immigration counters. The length of our trip is 12 hours, direct flight. For transit, the time difference is 3 hours, and this is still safe because the conditions are the same airlines and without leaving the gate. A little note when landing in Izmir, make sure the baggage is collected at International arrivals.
After the baggage collection was done, we immediately went out and the main goal was to collect Lira money and also look for luggage storage. We took Lira money at Ortak Bank with an administration fee of 25 thousand for one withdrawal. I used genius card for this withdrawal transaction. After towing we headed back towards the airport, and on the ground floor we found a luggage storage area. Because we have 3 suitcases (one clothes suitcase, one medium suitcase filled with one small suitcase) we had to take 2 boxes of L and M size luggage. My rates are attached in the photo. For this care, it’s self service, but if you have questions, you can contact the phone number listed so you don’t get confused in the process. Finished with our luggage, we continued to explore Izmir.
Our destination to Konak and we took the train. To travel by train, we had to have an Izmir card. This can be given at one of the kiosks right towards the airport train station. So Adnan Izmir Airport is one of the train stops so it is very easy for tourists who are going to the city center. I bought 2 cards because my niece happened to be over 8 years old. The price of the card is 45 TL with a balance of 15 TL. The drive to Konak is about 30 minutes. Arriving at Konak, we went straight to the Clock tower then continued the journey via ferry to Karsiyaka. In Karsiyaka we enjoyed the sea view and also had time to walk in the Bazar Market.
After enjoying Karsiyaka, we returned to the airport to pick up our suitcases and then continued our journey to Selcuk. To travel to Selcuk we use the bus which is available in front of the airport. Bus costs around 89 Lira for adults and 65 Lira for children. The trip to Selcuk is about 1.5 hours. Arriving at the selcuk we immediately rested. Actually quite hungry, but because my nephew had been sleeping since the afternoon until finally he couldn’t go out at night. Traveling with small children requires us to be patient and not selfish
Turkey Wild – Day 2
We explored Sirince, Ephesus and Kusadasi. All these trips use the mini buses available at the Selcuk Bus terminal. One way fare attached:
Selcuk – Sirince 13 lira
Selcuk – Ephesus 10 lira
Selcuk – Kusadasi 20 lira
Ephesus entrance fee 150 lira per person
In the afternoon after we were done with our last trip, we headed back to Selcuk to pick up our suitcases for Pamukkale. Selcuk – Pamukkale Bus Fares 130 lira per person, travel time is about 2 hours 30 minutes. Because it was too late, we had to take a taxi from Denizli terminal to the hotel. Incidentally there are 2 Canadian tourist And we share the taxi fee of 50 lira per person (total taxi cost 150 lira)
Turkey Wild – day 3
We explored Pamukkale for half a day. From the hotel to Hierapolis can be reached on foot, but we decided to take a taxi to get access to the south gate at a cost of 50 lira. Hierapolis entrance fee is 150 lira per person. After enjoying the view at the hierapolis and cotton castle, we then went to the hotel to pick up our suitcases and continue our journey to the Denizli Bus terminal. Taxi costs around 140 lira, this is metered. From Denizli Terminal we continued our journey via Bus to Isparta. Fares are 120 lira per person and the journey takes about 2 hours. In Isparta we only had a half day trip because in the evening we decided to continue the trip to Cappadocia. In Isparta we visited the Lavender farm in the Kuyucak area by using a rental car because the public bus for the Isoarta – Kuyucak route was no longer available. Car rental costs 400 lira with driver.
Turkey – Day 4
We Arrived in Cappadocia early in the morning. Go straight to the hotel and Alhamdulillah, I was able to check this early. All day in Cappadocia just exploring around. The weather conditions in Cappadocia are still quite cold, and my niece doesn’t seem used to it. We just walked to the access to Goreme open air and continued to have dinner at Cappadocia Cuisine Resto. The next day, we planned to go to Cappadocia sunrise point but it was canceled because the balloon didn’t fly that day. After breakfast we decided to visit Avanos city with available public transport. Actually I still want to stay in Cappadocia but my little nephew doesn’t feel at home anymore because the weather conditions are quite cold. Looks like summer hasn’t come to Cappadocia yet . Finally we booked a bus to Ankara. Cost 250 lira per person.
Turkey – Day 5
We Arrive in Ankara. This was unpredictable as we spent 3 nights in Ankara.
The first day we spent relaxing at the hotel, recovering energy. The next day, we continued to explore Ankara. In Ankara we only visited Anitkabir and Ankara Kalesi. The rest of the time we spent walking around the hotel, we happened to stay in the Kizilay area and there are many shopping centers around it, heaven for some people who like to shop.
Turkey Wild – Day 8
We checked out early from the hotel and continued to Eskisehir by fast train. Cost x 126 Lira for 2 people (84 lira for adults and 42 lira for children). Arriving at Eskisehir, we immediately stored our luggage at the bottom of the station, before the exit escalator. The fare here is much cheaper than the previous Izmir airport. In Eskisehir we only visited Castle (Entrance fee 15 lira per person) and Espark Mall, one of the biggest malls there. Why did we go to the mall several times, because the two of us didn’t match the menu at several Turkish restaurants, so usually the choice fell to some of the existing fast foods. In the afternoon we continued our journey by Bus to Istanbul. Cost 250 lira per person.
Turkey Wild – Day 9
In Istanbul, we explored the Sultanahmet area because the hotel we booked happened to be quite close to the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque. We then bought the Istanbul Card and visited several areas by train. We still had time to go to Eminou, Taksim square, Galata tower, Hafiz Mustafa and to Historia Mall. In the evening we chartered a taxi from Historia Mall to the Hotel in Sultanahmet then continued to Istanbul Airport at a cost of around 400 Lira.
The following is a list of hotels while in Turkey, considerations for choosing a hotel because it is close to the Bus terminal and tourist attractions and also Guest Reviews on booking.com:
Selcuk : Ali Baba’s House
Pamukkale : Anya Resort Hotel
Cappadocia : Cappadocia Kepez Hotel
Ankara : Energy Hotel
Istanbul : Sultan Hamit Hotel
Additional info, buses/trains and hotels, mostly booked on the spot because this trip really adjusted to my nephew’s mood throughout the trip.
